Multiple condenser



Marh1o,1931. RCSPRAGUE 1,795,411

MULTIPLE CONDENSER Fi1ed-Apri1 13, 1928 aber Si??? f aziz. 15;

narily employed, which has an e'ective and Patented Mar. 10, 1931 ROBERT C. SPRAGUE, OF

IULTIPLE Application led April 13,

This invention is particularly applicable to condensers such as that disclosed in my comanion applications Serial N o. 135,342, filed Ieptember 14, 1926, and Serial No. 239,684, liled December 13, 1927, although it is to be understood that the resent invention is a plicable to other con ensers as well. The o )ect of the -invention is to provide a single unitary condenserwhich may be used as two or more condensers, as for example in circuits requiring two like condensers, and to provide such a condenser which is .simple 'and economical to construct but which is eiicient and durable in use, which does not require a metal container or other housing ysuch as ordipermanent electrical contact between the terminalsy and conductive layers, which has Y durable terminals permanently anchored in the body of the condenser so as not ta break ofi-or pull out, which is free from the likelihood of short circuit, and generally to imn prove the art of multiple condensers.

' Prior to the invention of the aforesaid application it was customary to house condensers of they wound foil type in a tin can with the container. terminals or other rigid container and to mount the condenser terminals on the containeig.; the wound condenser inside the container merely 4being provided with light terminal strips for connecting the foil strips with the terminals on the container. This practice has not only greatly increased the cost of material and labor in the' process of manufacture but it has added largelytolthe bulk and weight of the resulting product. vMoreover, the aforesaid terminal strips connecting the foil strips .ave been very thin being little if any heavier than the foil windings, so. that they often tear oil' or pull out in assembling or repairing a condenser, the'strips necessarily being soft and thin to 4 avoid cutting the foil Wound therearound. .c

In this improved condenser lthe container and second set of terminals carried thereby are eliminated by mounting heavy terminal strips directly in the body of the condenser in such a Way that they do not tend to puncturethe insulating strips between the foil strips, do not pull out, and therefore serve as QUINCY, mssacrrusnrrs coNnENsER 1928. Sel'll N0. 269,701.

the ultimate terminals of the condenser, even to the Iextent of supporting the condenser as is often desirable in radio sets. This is preferably accomplished by pressing the relatively heavy terminal strips into recesses in a base, which preferably is in the form of a plate of liber board or the like, or by striking up projections on the terminal strips which either pinch the base or wedge into recesses previously formed in the base. The inner ends of the foil strips are preferably inserted under the terminals respectively before the latter are pressed into the base, thereby anchoring the ends of the foil strips (and their intermediate insulating strips) to the core, which greatly facilitates the process of winding the strips on the base.

Accordinglto this invention a multiple con denser'may ave any desired number of conducting plates or foil strips, for example two or three short strips wound end to end with gaps between adjacent ends and a long com.

mon strip extending between successive turns of the short strip windin s in succession. If

the respective sections o the condenser are to have equal capacity the short strips should have the same length; otherwise the capacity of the respective sections may be adjusted as desired by predetermination of the lengths of the short strips. Each foil strip has a terminal strip contacting therewith and projecti'ng from one end of the condenser, the terminals being mounted on base means embedded within the windings and having sulficienty stiffness to lend rigidity to the assembly and to4 hold the terminals in position, preferably without the assistance of an outer container for the assembly. When using fiber board plates for the base means the plates preferably are' disposed v in parallel superosition with some of the windings extending between the plates and other turns surrounding a plurality of the plates, the number of plates usually being equal to or one less than the number of condenser sections. For example, both a double and a triple condenser may have two plates, a quadruple condenser three plates, etc.

For convenience the plate having the most inner plate' and the plate having only a por- Z one of the flat sides of the condenser between said two strips and the second strip is anchored to the second base plate by vtwo spaced terminals, a gap in the foil between the twoterminals being formed either before or after the terminals are applied, as by severing the foil and spacing the ends before the terminals are applied or by removing a short section of the foil either before or after a paper backing adhering thereto as described in my prior applications, the paper may be severed and spaced with the foil'or a short section of paper corresponding to the said short sect-ion of foil may be removed, but preferably only the foil section is removed so that the paper backing continues unbroken. l The winding of the two'foils is then continued, preferably inthe same direction,

until the requisite number of turns have been. applied, whereupon the foils are cut off, a

wrapper applied, etc., as described in said applications.

Withv only one break in the outer foil as above described a double condenser results. To form a triple condenser it is only neces'- saryl to make a second break inthe same foil strip intermediate the inner end and the first break, in which case a fourth terminal is applied to the inner end of the strip. Thus the two terminals on the inner base plate contact with the inner ends of the common strip and the first short section, while the two terv minals on the outer base plate contact with the outer end of the second short section and the inner end of the third short section re spectively.

For the purpose of illustration I have shown Certain concrete embodiments of the invention in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of one embodiment;

l. Fig. 2 is a plan view of/the same embodiment;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 343 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of another em-Y I bodiment;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of theother embodiment;

Fig. 6 is asection on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a'perspective View of the second embodiment.

In the particular embodiment shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the aforesaid base plates are shown at C and C', the terminals or terminal members at 1,2,3 and 4, ther inner or long common foil strip at F, its associated paper strip at P, the first short foil strip at F', its associated paper strip P', the second foil and paper strips at Fand P, the' third foil and paper strips at F" and Pf and the outside wrapper at W, the gaps between the ends of strips F f. and F and between" F and F" being shown at G and Gr respectively. As stated above, the paper backing for the foil strips is preferablyv of the foil sections F', Fand F" is a single the terminals are applied. lVhen the foil has `lit' of the terminal in its recess in the base.

Another pair of foil and paper strips is then vapplied over the first pair, the second pair either being anchored by a terminal 2 as shown in Fig'. 3 or merel being folded over as shown in Fig. 6, depen ing upon whether 0r notit is desiredto have the terminal for this pair mounted'on the rst base plate C or the second base plate C. The two pairs of strips are then wound about the core or base C in a counterclockwise direction throughout any desired number of turns, depending u on the desired capacity of the condenser. A ter the proper number of turns have been wound on the core C the base plate C is applied in the position shown in Fig. 3 between thetwo pairs of strips with the outer pair mounted at spaced intervals on the vcore C by means of the terminals 3 and 4, a section .of the foil strip being removed-at G either before orl after the terminals 3 and 4 are' applied' as above described. The two -pairs of strips are then wound about .both core plates in the same direction until the desired number' of turns are applied, whereupon the strips are cutoff and the wrapper W applied yas described in my previous application. The entire assembly preferably is impregnated as described in said application to form a solid unitary assembly. J

By removing a section of the foil F during the winding process, as illustrated at Gr, a three-section condenser will result, the foil F constituting the common foil and the foils F. F and F" constituting three separate loo foils cooperating with the common foil. If only a two-secti0n condenser is desired the gap G is omitted, in which case either the termy terminal for mounting purposes.

The modification shown in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive is similar to that above described with the following exceptions. The terminals l and 2, corresponding to 1 and 2 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, have oblique portions mounted' in oblique recesses in the associated core or base plate as described in said prior application, Serial No. 239,684. While the terminals 3 and 4 may be mounted in like manner, they are shown as mounted inthe same manner as Athe terminalsillustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, differing only in the contour of their projecting end portions. In this modification the terminal 2 is not connected to any of the foils, beingv intended merely as a dummy terminal for mounting purposes, as for example in the position illustrated in Fig. 7. In this modification. the terminal l constitutes the common terminal and the terminals 3 and 4 the terminals individual to the two sections.

I cla-im: y

1. A condenser assembly comprising sup-v porting means having sufficient stiiiness to lend rigidity to the assembly, three or more strips of foil wound on said means with insulation therebetween, and terminal members held in position by said means in contact with said strips respectively, certain of the foil strips passing over` certain of the terminal members with the outer surfaces of the latter substantially iush withV the outer surfaces of said lsupporting means so as not to cut 1the strips passing thereover.

2. A' condenser assembly comprising supporting means having sufficient stiffness to lend rigidity to the assembly, three or more strips of foil Wound on said means with in sulation therebetween', two of said strips being spaced endwise with a gap therebetween, and terminal members disposed in recesses in said means and contacting with said strips respectively. y

3. A condenser assembly comprising supporting means having suflicient stiifness to 'lend rigidity to the assembly, three or more strips of foil wound on said means with insulation therebetween, and stili terminal 111cm-, bers/mounted on said means `inside the assembly and .contacting with said strips. ree spectively, the members having projections extending through the strips into said means.

' 4. A condenser assembly' comprising a pluralityof core members to lend rigidity to the assembly, strips of foil wound around said members, a portion of the foil wound around only one member and another portion wound around both members and said portion.

5.l A condenser assembly comprising a plurality of insulation plates in parallel superposition, strips of foil wound around said plates, a portion of the foil wound. around only one`member and another portion wound around both members.

\6. A condenser assembly comprising a plurality of core members to lend rigidity to the assembly, a strip of foil Wound around one member and thence around both members, zgnd another strip wound around both memers.

7. A condenser assembly comprising a plurality. of insulation plates in parallel superposition,` a strip of foil wound around one plate and thence around the other late, the second strip wound around the rst plate only, and a third strip Wound around both plates.

8. A condenser assemblycomprising'a plu- `rality of insulation base plates in parallel superposition, three or more stripsof foil Wound on said plates With insulation therebetween, and terminal members having parts extending into recesses on the outer surfaces of said plates and contacting with said strips respectively.

` 9. A condenser vassembly comprising a plu- Yrality of insulation base plates in parallel superposition, terminal members associated with said plates respectively, a strip of foil Wound around one plate and contacting With one of said members, another strip of foil Wound first around one o fu said plates and thence around both plates and contacting Withanother of said members, and a third strip of foil wound around both plates and contactin with a third terminal member inside said first foil winding.

'10. `A condenser assembly comprising inner and outer insulation baseplates, a terminal member mounted on the inner plate, a second terminal member mounted on one of said plates, and a third terminal member mountedk on the outer plate, a strip of foil wound around the inner` plate and. thence around both plates and contacting near its inner end with the first terminal member, a second strip of foil wound around the inner plate and contacting with the second terminal member, and a third strip of foil wound around both plates andA contacting near its inner end with the second plate.

11. A condenser assembly comprising supL porting means having sufiicient stiffness to lendgrigidity to the assembly, three or more stripsof foil wound on said means with in- 'sulation'th'erebetweem a plurality of said strips being disposed end to end, andA stili terminal members mounted on said means inside the assembly 'and contacting with said strips respectively, the members having pros jections extending through the strips into said means. v

12. A condenser assembly comprising. a plurality of insulation base plates in parallel superposition, three or more strips of foil Wound on said plates with insulation therbetween, a plurality of said strips disposed end to end, and terminalA members having l parts 'extending into recesses in said plates o and'contacting with said strips respectively.

Signed. by me at Quincy, Massachusetts, this 11th day of April, 1928. ROBERT C. SPRAGUE. 

